


for the hope of it all

by softccore



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Divorce, M/M, Prequel, Unhappy Ending, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softccore/pseuds/softccore
Summary: Papers were handed to both of them. Tony looked at Steve's hands. His face. He was looking for a sign, anything that could indicate he was having second thoughts."You really want this?"Please say no. Please.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	for the hope of it all

If you asked Tony, he thought that the day of his divorce would be cold and rainy and awful, much like the day of his parents' funeral. When he stepped out of the penthouse at ten in the morning, he realised that, in fact, the weather was lovely. The sun was shining, birds were flying, people were taking off their jackets. _Turns out the universe doesn't give two shits about divorces and heartbreaks and soon-to-be ex husbands_ , he thought.

He hadn't slept the night before. He was thinking about what car he should take to his lawyer's office, what he should wear. He didn't want to send the wrong message. To Steve, also to Steve's lawyer. That he cared too much or cared too little. He then decided it didn't matter because Steve was probably already asleep, relieved that the nightmare that was their wedding was finally coming to an end. The thought that Steve wanted to be done with it as soon as possible, made his chest heavy. Tony never wanted the divorce, never asked for it. The truth is, he never fought for his marriage either. Not as much as he should have, at least.

He stepped in the room with his head high, trying to preserve the last shreds of dignity he had left. This was the finish line. His and Steve's lawyers were there. Steve's sit was empty.

"Of course he's late. Couldn't even pretend this was important to him." He said spitefully, but the fact that Steve didn't care enough to be on time stung.

"Mister Rogers will be here shortly. He's very sorry for the delay."

Tony almost winced at the loss of his last name next to Steve's. He had to keep himself from correcting his husbands lawyer. Because Steve _was_ his husband. For a few more minutes, he would still be Rogers-Stark. Then again he lost his husband months ago so there wasn't a reason to be dwelling on details, he decided.

"I bet he is."

His lawyer looked at him and he momentarily heard her voice in his head. _“You don’t have to be so agressive all the time, Tony. This has been very trouble-free so far, let’s keep it that way.”_ Trouble-free. What exactly was trouble-free about this, he didn’t know. He was divorcing the man he loved, that seemed like trouble enough to him.

He couldn't stand the silence any longer. “Right. I’m gonna grab some coffee. If mister punctual decides to show up why don’t you give me a call, I’ll be downstairs.” What he didn’t add is that the room suddenly felt like it sucked all of the oxygen right out of Tony’s lungs. He couldn’t breathe. He grabbed his own chest and made for the stairs when he bumped into two very broad shoulders he immediately recognized.

“Careful there, big guy. Why the hurry, are you late to something?” He cocked an eyebrow in an effort to distract Steve from his shaking hands.

“Good morning to you too, Tony. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s alright.” It wasn’t. “A few more minutes and I would’ve thought you changed your mind.” He tried for a laugh. It sounded fake even to his own ears. He also found he wished Steve had indeed changed his mind, but that was neither here nor there.

“Don’t do this, To-”

“No, I know, I know. Relax Steve, I was joking.”

“We should get inside.”

“After you.”

A few steps and they were standing in front of the door. Tony was flooded by panic, this felt wrong. This couldn't be how they ended. He put a hand on the door handle, preventing Steve from going in.

"We can still take it all back. Nothing's done yet. Just say the word, Steve"

"Look at us. We're one step from signing divorce papers. There's nothing to go back to, Tony." Steve was suffering too. Tony could see it in his eyes. Resigned, full of regrets, words never spoken, apologies never made. Steve was hurting, but he was hurting in their marriage too. He needed out and Tony hated himself for not wanting to give it to him. He removed his hand from the handle.

He watched as Steve opened the door, took the one step forward and sat down next to their lawyers. He had no option but to do the same.

Papers were handed to both of them. Tony looked at Steve's hands. His face. He was looking for a sign, anything that could indicate he was having second thoughts.

"You really want this?"

_Please say no. Please._

Steve didn't. Tony put his signature on the paper and pushed it out of his sight as soon as he could. He looked over to Steve only to realize a single tear had escaped his eye. He hadn't signed his paper yet. He was hesitating, rethinking every possible option in his head, Tony knew him.

"Steve."

At the sound of his name he seemed to snap back into reality. He scribbled his signature and without raising his eyes for a second, he stormed out of the room leaving Tony to drown in the aftermath of their divorce.

Which he did, for several years to come.

**Author's Note:**

> title is a lyric from taylor swift's august.
> 
> this is a prequel to my first work. i like the divorce theme a lot, even more so when it's not wanted from both sides. i wanted to try steve's side of things but i decided not to because i like the mysteriousness of him. you don't clearly know what's going on in his head and for now, this is what i was going for. i feel as though tony is more of an open book with the people he loves while steve is less, expressive? i hope you like this, i'm not sure how i feel about it tho. feel free to leave any requests. have a wonderful day.
> 
> find me on instagram @sapphirq


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